Chapter 300 – A New Beginning (1/2)

In a plaza, an old man in an old set of clothes stood before a square table on a tall platform, eloquently telling the story of how the founding emperor conquered the tribes of the west. While the passers-by all knew about this piece of history, he managed to tell it with cadence, so it was still enough to captivate the entire teahouse full of customers such that they even forgot to eat the snacks before them.

Sun Shuping was originally a scholar, but just like most other scholars, he failed to make a name for himself through studying. There was a saying that the most useless existence was a scholar. Once any hope of scholarly or official posts were lost, those who did well would become aides or private advisors, while those who did poorly would start up a private institution and serve as a teacher. Of course, there were people who ended up as beggars on the streets too.

He did neither well nor poorly. Because of his nimble tongue, he managed to study under an old storyteller, which allowed him to become a storyteller himself. Combined with the fact that he was literate and had read extensively, he surpassed his master in this area. Before he knew it, a few decades had already passed, and he had basically made a small name for himself.

A series of harsh bird cries rang out. Sun Shuping’s mouth did not stop, but he looked over with a frown. He saw a swollen man in silks enter the plaza with a birdcage. He pushed his way to the front boldly, sitting down right in front of the platform.

As if it were frightened, the bird’s caws were even sharper now, which garnered furious gazes from everyone. However, they also seemed to be afraid of the fatty’s authority, so they dared not say anything.

Sun Shuping could not help but stop. He smiled at the fatty. “Sir, you can’t bring birds into the plaza, so please hang your birdcage outside?”

The fatty rolled his eyes. “Hang it outside? Do you know how much my bird is worth? If I lose it, are you supposed to compensate me? You tell your stories, and it’ll caw by itself. Let’s see which one is more pleasant. Don’t worry, you won’t be missing out on any money from me at all. It’ll be much more than these penniless people.”

Sun Shuping’s frown grew even wider now. With a smack, he slapped the table. “To be continued! Be sure to not miss out!” He ended with this iconic phrase that never changed, leaving with an exaggerated swing of his arm.

Praises rang out in the plaza. Clearly, it was not just because of the story that he told, but also because of the quality of the storytelling. They tossed many copper coins onto the platform.

His disciple, Li’l Rock, scurried onto the platform, picking up the money while clasping his hands and bowing. He looked just like a little monkey, which led to a roar of laughter.

Sun Shuping helped up his disciple in a hurry and exclaimed while pointing at the fatty. “You!”

“Keep going. Tell me some more. I have plenty of money!” The fatty sneered as he tossed a handful of silver pieces up and down in his hand. “If I support you, then you’re something, but if I don’t, you’re just a damned storyteller. How dare you turn against me? Don’t you know who I am? I’ll pelt you to death with money.”

A golden streak of light flew up from below, striking the fatty’s head before bouncing onto the platform. It was a gold piece.

The fatty’s head had already become covered in blood. He had directly fainted.

“Mister Sun? Our boss invites you to meet him.” A burly man flashed somehow and arrived right in front of Sun Shuping.

Li’l Rock saw the gold piece and rushed over while holding his head. He picked up the gold piece and bit it. He cried out in joy. “Master, it’s real gold! And what a big piece it is!” His head no longer hurt anymore. He had never touched gold before in his entire life.

Children that grew up in the plaza were not particularly precious. Sun Shuping felt rather pained instead. Storytelling was a lowly trade. Anyone could curse them if they wished. He had been through plenty of that in the past, but he did not want this child to suffer his entire life with him. He made up his mind to make him change his future profession.